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' iTHERE "ARE 2(H),000 IN THE UNITED STATES "
COMING DOWN WITH PNEUMONIA THIS WINTER
' You May Be Oneof Them Un
less You Observe Some Sensi
ble Precautions.
Written for The Day Book by
Leonard Keen Hirshberg,
B. A., M. D.
There-will be 200,000 cases of
pneumonia in the United States
this winter! Do you expect to-
escape tits ravages
two , hundred
thousand, over
fifty "thousand
will die. Statis
tics carefully
kept for near
ly a thousand
" years prove
this.
The ancient
Greeks, especi
ally Hippoc
rates described
pheufnonia ex-
? For of these
IBjv t VH
Dr. Hirshberg.
actly as we know it today. It is
a, .malignant inflamation of the
lungs due to minute organisms,
or germs.. These, blockade the
air passages, prison the breathed
air, and weaken the "heart.
There are several forms of
pneumonia, but" the, common type
is produced by the "tiny shot
shaped germ, the pneumocococ
cus. (Under the microscope this
is a tiny, black speck, surround
ed by a transparent capsule. It,
belongs to the lowest order of
living, moving plants. Despite
its active motility, it is not an
animal, but, a vegetable parasite.
Pneumonia is commonly asso
ciated with cold weather. In
point of fact it is most prevalent
in winter, but it is a disease of all
seasons and all climates Where
ever you find civilized beings,
there you will find pneumonia.
It is at its' worst in January, and
is-least met with in July and Au
gust A sudden chill, however,
in summer, is just as apt to end
ih pneumonia as a sudden phill in
Christmas.
At the start, the symptoms
are much like those of a severe
"cold" in influenza. A sharp chill
is commonly followed by a higji
fever. Then appears a. darting
pain in the chest, a dfy cough
with blood stained sputum (very
infectious), and quick, catchy
breathing.
Pneumonia, when uncompli
cated is a self-limited- disease.
The attack cannot be shortened.
The patient must be placed 'in a
light, airy, well-ventilated room
and plenty Of water, lemonade,
and easily digested food such as
egg-albumen, milk, and ' nieat
juice given to him. Modern
physicians employ icepacks tc the
head and chest to reduce the fev-"
er, and relieve the pain,- Minor
devices are used to alleviate the
cough, and support the strength
to the sufferer. ,
Against the pneumococcus it
self nature must still wage'her
war unaided. But it is often "pos
'sible for the alert doctor to lend